Patio gas grills are the direct competition for traditional charcoal burners. They are quick and convenient, but what are the disadvantages?

If you want the traditional flavor provided by a charcoal burner, you can’t replicate it with a gas burner. It is difficult to create an authentic flavor with a gas burner as it doesn’t have the charcoal, so cannot create the smoky barbeque flavor which is so popular for outdoor cooking. Many enthusiasts will not use the gas burners because of a lack of traditional flavor, and choose instead to stick with charcoal burners. Although gas grill salesmen will probably just recommend barbeque sauce!

Another disadvantage is having to buy the gas cylinders to make them run. Unlike charcoal which can be bought from just about anywhere regardless of the weather, finding the right gas might be a little more difficult. This is partially because there are more charcoal sellers, but mostly because charcoal is universal; you can’t buy the wrong kind of charcoal to burn! You also want to ensure that you have the correct fittings so that there isn’t any leakage; there are a couple of standard fittings for gas cylinders, so you can’t guarantee that your bottle will fit your grill. Even though gas leakage isn’t too much of a problem outside from a health perspective, it will still create an unpleasant atmosphere and waste your fairly pricey gas!

A convenient alternative for gas grills are electric grills; they are much easier to use, as all they require is a plug and a flick of the switch, but you will find that you get even less flavor with the electric grills than you do with the gas.

But going back to the advantages, patio gas grills have some definite upsides. Remember that cylinder of gas? Well should you want to convert your patio grill into a roving piece of equipment then all you need to do is pick up the gas cylinder and go! With electric grills you must have a power source, and charcoal can be incredibly messy and difficult to cart around.

Gas grills are also less messy in general; as there is no bi-product, because there is no combustion process, they are easier to clean so all you need to worry about is mess from the food. This also means that they can be used again with a minimum of effort on your part.

You also have more control over your cooking because you can turn down gas grills. This can be a handy advantage over charcoal burners, where you pretty much have to let things take their course. Gas grills also heat up almost instantly, compared to charcoal burners which can take an irritatingly long time to heat up.

When choosing your grill type it is important to consider what you want; if all you want is a handy outdoor cooking experience then a gas grill is for you. If you want an authentic smoky flavor to tickle the taste buds then go for the charcoal burner!

Tagged with: • • • •

Filed under: patio gas grills

Like this post? Subscribe to my RSS feed and get loads more!